St. John’s finally broke the Big East ice Thursday night, managing to hold off Seton Hall 77-76 for its first conference victory after leading by 17 points with nine minutes remaining.
Now the real tests begin, starting Saturday afternoon at famed Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where the Johnnies will be gunning for their first road win of the year against Butler, which has replaced St. John’s in the Big East basement. A trip to first-place Creighton and Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott follows.
“We needed that win to gain momentum with the next two away games we have,” junior guard Jamal Branch said following the Red Storm’s triumph over the Pirates. “Hopefully it will get us over the hump and we’ll be ready for our upcoming games.”
St. John’s (11-8, 1-5) has struggled away from home, getting hammered at Georgetown, failing down the stretch at DePaul after building a late four-point advantage and losing at Xavier despite taking an early nine-point lead.
Coach Steve Lavin’s team will need to find victories on the road if it is going to right the ship and do something “special,” which Lavin said is still a possibility. He still believes this group is capable of going on a lengthy run.
Lavin pointed out the Red Storm have the same exact record his first team at St. John’s had after 19 games, and that group went on to reach the NCAA Tournament with a stirring streak to end the season.
“We know Coach Lav’s teams are best late in the season,” sophomore forward JaKarr Sampson said. “February, March is when we make our run. We know that. We just have to work hard, get better. It gives us confidence.”
Of the 12 games remaining, six will be away from home, virtually all in difficult places to play — from Villanova to Creighton to Marquette.
But St. John’s is headed out on the road feeling good, encouraged by its victories over Dartmouth and Seton Hall. The Johnnies got balanced scoring against the Pirates, with five different players reaching double figures, St. John’s forced 19 Seton Hall turnovers and shared the ball well, distributing 17 assists.
“It’s good to win because the kids will have the wind at their back as we go on the road,” Lavin said, “but Butler and Creighton are two of the toughest places to play in America.”
This is a make-or-break stretch for St. John’s, which has given itself no margin for error. Following the two road games, the Red Storm host Marquette the day before the Super Bowl, visit red-hot Providence and meet Creighton again, this time at the Garden.
“It will be tough, but as long as we execute and play great defense, Creighton will not shoot like they did against Villanova,” Branch said, referring to the Bluejays’ stunning rout of the fourth-ranked Wildcats on Monday, when they set a Big East record with 21 3-pointers.
It is also an opportunity to pick up some much-needed statement victories. The Johnnies’ only two wins against major-conference foes are over middling ACC foe Georgia Tech and Seton Hall, which is just a game ahead of St. John’s in the Big East.